Pot point

Texas' opposition to medical marijuana is unwarranted.

Texas has a long way to go before it approaches anything near Colorado-style legal marijuana. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP)

Texas has a long way to go before it approaches anything near...

When Congress this time last year got around to passing a federal spending measure, the 1,603-page bill contained a provision little noticed, even though it signaled a major shift in drug policy.

Thanks to that obscure provision, the federal government officially ended its war with medical marijuana. As the Los Angeles Times noted, the bill's passage brought "to a close two decades of tension between the states and Washington over the medical use of marijuana." States where medical marijuana is legal no longer would have to worry about federal agents swooping in and shutting down retail operations.

Passage last week of the $1.1 trillion federal spending bill maintained the ban on federal interference in those 32 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized pot or its ingredients to either treat serious ailments or alleviate pain. Although some marijuana proponents maintain that federal agents and prosecutors haven't gotten the message, it's good news that for two years in a row Congress has used the appropriations process to send a message to the Justice Department.

In Texas, of course, the issue is pretty much moot. The Lone Star State is one of 27 where marijuana remains illegal for medical or recreational use, even though a University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll last year found that 77 percent of Texans believe that marijuana should be legalized in at least some circumstances. According to a 2013 poll by the Marijuana Policy Project, 58 percent of Texas voters believe that seriously ill patients should be allowed to use medical marijuana if they have a doctor's recommendation to do so. Many of those Texans no doubt have had experience with a friend or loved one whose pain and suffering at the end of life was alleviated by marijuana. Their elected representatives remain unmoved.

"I remain convinced that Texas should not legalize marijuana, nor should Texas open the door for conventional marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes," Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier this year. "As governor, I will not allow it. ."

He has allowed a version of it. His remarks came as he signed a bill in June legalizing oils containing CBD, a non-euphoric component of marijuana used to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions. Abbott said he hoped the result would be "healing and hope for children who are afflicted by relentless seizures caused by epilepsy." That's our hope, as well - for those children and for others.

Texas being Texas, it may be years before the governor and other anti-pot warriors get around to extending the same compassion to fellow Texans who could desperately use the palliative benefits of medical marijuana. The federal government has stepped aside; we're waiting for our elected representatives to step up.

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